The Pieces of My Heart
by NillyNarwhal
Summary: Everyone but Beast Boy seems to have gone their own way after the team split up a year ago. He still lingers in the past, doesn't have a real place to call home, and painfully misses his friends until he finds Raven. But along with joy, his reunion with her brings questions waiting to be answered. Rated for later chapters.
1. Still Searching

**A/N: EDITED ON 3/10/13**

**I begun writing this a long time ago and decided to finish it. Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Teen Titans **

* * *

><p>It was a cold winter day in Jump City.<p>

The wind was blowing with all its strength and the sky's clouds couldn't have been any more ominous, yet the citizens were still flooding the streets, going from shop to shop, not caring if the weather was bitter cold or not. Everyone was in a cheery mood since Christmas was near.

But there was one person, a young man that could only be around eighteen. He stuck out of the crowd like a sore thumb. Then again, he could very easily stick out of any crowd. He had olive green skin, sported a crop of dark green hair, bright forest colored eyes, and had a rather short stature for his age. All he wore was a slightly beat up coat from the fights he was in with criminals. His jeans were getting soggy, snow boots battered, and his woolen scarf was stitched up messily from the occasions he tried to sow it himself; he had the little needle wounds on his fingers to prove it. His name was Beast Boy. Although he wasn't exactly a boy anymore, he still kept the name for the memories. Even if they were sad and painful, it held many good ones as well. After all, one lives not for the negative but the positive memories. And for him, it was basically all he had left to live up to these days. Though among regular people, when he wasn't playing hero, he was known as Garfield Logan.

And so it was, Beast Boy scurried from person to person in the blistering weather. He showed them a photo of a teenage girl in a blue hooded cape with matching combat boots. Her hood cast a mysterious shadow over her face, intense amethyst eyes shining brightly underneath. The picture was tattered and slightly torn at the right hand corner and was three years out of date. The girl's name in the photo was Raven and she was part of the Teen Titans. Contrary to what you might think, she once saved lives and protected the city with her friends. Many people misunderstood her for her looks, what, with the dark clothing and attitude. She couldn't help it if that's how everyone viewed her as - just a creepy Goth girl. She blamed her powers and heritage for that. She was always the quietest of the Titans because of all the complications with her father, the demon Trigon. The team respected their dark friend's privacy…except one… and that he just so happened to go by the name of who we mentioned earlier.

Beast Boy.

Beast Boy had a gift to get on her nerves (well on everyone's, but mostly just hers) and he used it to its absolute full potential. Although they seemed to bicker incessantly and were complete polar opposites, over time, they were actually able to get along and became good friends. They kept on bickering of course, but kept it to a minimum. Okay, that was a lie, but they did care about each other. What one didn't have, the other filled in the gap and vice versa.

Beast Boy thought about all this while handing the picture to a brown haired woman in a fleece jacket holding shopping bags filled to the brim.

"Um, excuse me, ma'am but have you seen this girl before?" The changeling asked. He already knew the answer, but his stubborn streak could be very robust and made him refuse to give up hope.

The woman observed the photo for a few seconds before giving it back, answering. "I'm sorry, but no . . . though she does look familiar." The woman looked the changeling up and down. "And so do you."

Beast Boy laughed slightly morosely. "That's because we were once part of the Teen Titans. You sure you haven't seen her recently? She kinda has this monotone voice. Purple hair, pale skin."

"Sorry, honey, I haven't. Not since you guys disbanded and stopped protecting the city." She said the last part a little harshly. The green changeling was about to say that _he_ still protected the city, or at least tried to, but the woman had already turned on her heels.

Beast Boy sighed sadly and sat down on a bench in the empty hilly park.

It has been two years now since the Titans split up and went their separate paths. Immediately after breaking up, Robin started a trip around the world, searching for new heroes. No one has heard of him since, but it would be reasonable to assume that he was still putting villains behind bars. Starfire stated she was going to stay at Tamaran for awhile, but Beast Boy still doesn't know whether she's returned yet and if the others have heard anything from their alien friend. Beast Boy and Cyborg rented out an apartment room, living off the money they had earned as Titans and just doing their own thing. But after a month, Beast Boy woke up one morning to find a note in the kitchen from his friend saying he had to leave to go on and do bigger things, though he'd promise to visit him from time to time. Cyborg had kept that promise for the first six months. The first two times he visited, the robotic man and changeling spent their time productively by playing videogames and catching up while gobbling down pizza. Cyborg had called a couple of months after that, mentioning he'd stop by again soon, but it's been over year since that call and no Cyborg has shown up at Beast Boy's front door. At first, he feared Cyborg was dead, but a little Googling revealed that his best friend was currently building electric devices for global companies under the name Victor Stone.

And that leaves us with Raven.

Once Robin nodded his former team good bye and teary Starfire shot towards space at the speed of light after giving everyone a heart wrenching hug, Beast Boy remembered it was only the three of them left standing on the tower's roof against the cloudy sky and crashing waves. The salt scented breeze, once a comfortable presence, now stung. The three figures remaining stood stiff in the suffocating silence. Raven turned around to Beast Boy and Cyborg. She gave them one glance from under that darned hood that still covered her face, always appearing to be emotionless, however her eyes would suggest something else. Her shoulders convulsed every now and then, although Beast Boy wasn't sure whether it was from trying to retain herself or just the wind. After that one last fleeting look, she disappeared, transporting to God knows where.

Thinking back, the reason was never clear as to why they separated. All Beast Boy remembered was the mayor stating crime rate had dropped significantly in Jump City. Robin seemed to take this as an initiative to say it was time to get serious and move ahead with their lives. It was time for them to stop playing around and grow up. They could only do this for so long before new recruits were needed and heck even Titans East had already started searching for other potentials. The team begun becoming more distant from each other after that, knowing somehow that this wonderful life they led was soon to end. They started packing up and before they knew it, the day came when it was time to say good bye and leave.

Except none of them actually said good bye. Not so much as even whisper it.

Perhaps it was too painful, too heartbreaking, having to utter those two seemingly simple words. Perhaps it was the sudden dizzying reality that weighed down on them each time they tried to say it, only to back down and keep their mouths closed tight. They feared that if they did say it, they might not be able to keep a hold of themselves… won't be capable of acting like the mature adults they're supposed to be…never seeing each other again.

If only they knew.

* * *

><p><strong>So, yeah, do all the usual stuff. You know tell me what you think, leave a review, constructive criticism, and all that jazz! ;)<strong>

**I had the beginning of the next chapter for this story, but unfortunately, my computer crashed down and lost all its memory so all my stories are lost! I was even proud with the way it was turning out. **


	2. Hide and Go Seek Gone Wrong

**Just wanted to say thank you for those that reviewed and saved my story to their faves! Means a lot.**

**A/N: In case there's any confusion, I want to say I've edited this story so that this chapter combines chapters 2 and 3 together. I feel it's better this way because otherwise those two chapters were too short on their own for my liking.**

* * *

><p>Beast Boy admired the setting sun from a bench on a hill that overlooked the city. The early stars were already visible in the blue of the sky, above the hues of purples, reds, and oranges near the vibrant sun. He could feel its warmth tingling his skin in the cold. Just the feel of it made him want to fall asleep right there, right now. He did have an apartment and could always simply fly there, but that required effort, which he didn't have at the moment. Beast boy was so exhausted from walking around all day, asking people whether they'd seen Raven that he didn't care if he slept in the garbage dump tonight. His eye lids were heavy with fatigue and shut closed eagerly . . .<p>

. . .

. . .

. . .

_The sun blissfully shone down on the clover meadow. Fluffy white clouds were gently gliding through the azure sky. Birds chirped from their nests on the lonely trees that grew there. Beast Boy looked around confusingly. He'd been roaming around for a while now and concluded he was lost in a seemingly endless field. He soon came upon a rather large hill that steeped upwards. His sensitive ears picked up on voices coming from above. The changeling felt a rush of relief; he was worried that he was the only one there. He strode up the hill, ready to ask the strangers where the heck he was. That is, until he saw their faces._

"_Yo, BB," said a familiar, boisterous voice, "what took you so long?" _

_Beast Boy stood there frozen in utter shock, staring in disbelief at the strangers – Titans- in front of him. They were all lying down comfortably on the grass, as if they didn't have a care in the world, as if nothing between them had changed. He quickly realized they were waiting for an answer. _

"_Oh, I, uh, g-got lost." The shape shifter stammered. It was true in a way._

_They nodded emphatically, as is Beast Boy's disorientation was anticipated, which in their minds, was probably the case. He ambled over to the empty spot in the circle between Cyborg and Starfire. The group looked at him expectantly. _

"_What?"_

"_Have you forgotten, friend Beast boy?" Starfire asked._

_The changeling sat in dubious thought for a few seconds until his eyes lit up with an answer. He went through his belt. __**Communicator, check**__. He sniffed his armpits. __**Deodorant, check . . . secret extra stash of tofu, check.**__ The last part was really only for Beast Boy's own need to know. _

"_Okay," Raven drawled. "He obviously can't remember his own plans."_

"_You brought us out here for some quality time together, remember?" Robin said, slightly annoyed by his apparently dumbfounded teammate's antics. He knew Beast Boy had been planning this for a while now. Something like this wouldn't just slip his mind. _

_Beast Boy sat frozen for a second before awkwardly breaking down into a nervous fit of laughter. "Hahaha, oh yeah! Of course I remember! Sorry guys, I was kinda daydreaming earlier." Pretty sure no one believes me, but oh well! Better to play along before they think I'm crazy. Then again, that might be too late …_

"_So, what now?" Raven's tone of voice was enough to let him know she was bored already. Even Robin was getting that look on his face. _

"_How about we play . . . Hide and Go Seek!" Beast Boy yelled enthusiastically._

"_That is a most marvelous idea!" Starfire exclaimed, clasping her hands together. Everyone could tell Robin wanted to desperately protest against such a childish game, but he decided to just let it go, not wanting to disappoint Starfire. So after coaxing Raven to play with them, and a unanimous vote for Beast Boy to be "It", the Teen Titans were prepared to play. _

_Right as the others were set to bolt off in search of their hiding places, Beast Boy shouted, "Wait a sec! What are the boundaries?"_

_Robin smirked. "If we're going to play a child's game, might as well make it worthwhile. There are no boundaries." And with that, the four team members scattered away from the hill. _

"_Whaaaat! No boundaries? That'll take forever!" Beast Boy whined while Cyborg yelled over his shoulder, "And count till thirty, no peeking, no cheating!" And so the changeling laid down on his back on the soft grass, eyes closed, and started counting. Somewhere in the twenties, he sensed a light pitter-patter feeling on his face, but ignored it. However, the rain drops only became bigger and heavier, forcing him to get up from the ground. His forest green eyes flew open to meet the stormy gray sky looming over him. He scanned the area around him until his eyes landed on a cloaked figure, two amethyst orbs shining from underneath. _

"_Ra-" _

. . .

. . .

. . .

A wet gust of wind sprayed Beast Boy awake abruptly. He gasped for breath as if he were being submerged in water and after a few moments he steadied his heartbeat. But he might as well just have continued on to a heart attack, because nothing would have prepared him for an encounter like this. All he could do was to stare into two very familiar, very unmistakable, very haunting amethyst orbs.

". . . Raven?"

Beast Boy jumped from his seat on the bench, now cold and wet from the weather, in disbelief. He warily raised one gloved hand towards the girl standing a mere five yards in front of him, as if approaching a frightened wild animal. The girl, whose long hair flew madly in the wind, was dressed in a sheer, flowy white hospital gown. Right as he reached out though, lightning flashed, blinding him momentarily until he could see once more. There was nothing now, no one there in front of him, or any sign that there had.

Beast Boy sighed, his short burst of energy vanished. "Of course she wasn't there . . . I'm just seeing stuff. Stupid dream."

He glanced at his watch. "Past eleven . . ." he muttered to himself, tired. And tired was perhaps the most accurate word to describe him not only physically, but mentally as well, he thought as he trudged back to his apartment he once shared with his robotic friend. Could he still call Cyborg a friend? Could he call any of the former Teen Titans his friends? No. . . . people who you've had no contact with in over two years intentionally were not considered friends, not even acquaintances. Especially when they seemed so eager to leave you. So why, for the life of him, did he want to find them? For all he knew, maybe they didn't want to be found; maybe they were purposely hiding away from each other.

The changeling groaned in frustration over all these confusing questions. He was already tired as it was. Tired of his aching feet, tired of people ignoring him, tired of Jump City, tired of his pathetic life, tired of being so alone. He was suddenly halted by a notion. The rain now felt like tiny pin needles pelting his skin, though he paid no attention.

Loneliness . . . when was the last time he spoke to a real friend? Sure, he chatted to his colleagues at work and then there was this old hobo he often ran into, but who would really care about him if he abruptly disappeared from the surface of the earth? They gave the impression that they were happy to talk to him, yet he could see the resentment in their eyes. They were discontent that he stopped protecting the city. Maybe loneliness was the reason he wanted to search for his old teammates so badly, to smile and laugh with them like old times, when things weren't so complicated. Hell, they might as well fight crime together while they were at it.

Several more minutes dragged by until Beast Boy had arrived at his apartment building. It was nothing spectacular really- a pale yellow, five story complex with potted flowers, some wilted while some still managed to stay alive, sat out on the window sill while thin, papery vines clawed up, out of control, towards the flat open roof which was scheduled to have a garden. People guessed it was to attract more clients.

Beast Boy approached the building's public entrance and tried the frigid handle. He let out a small sigh (he seemed to be doing that a lot lately). _Of course they wouldn't leave it unlocked at such a late hour._ His hand shuffled around in his coat pocket until he found his key. As the door noisily clicked open, the changeling thought he saw a ghostly white cloth flapping wildly in the wind right around the left corner of the building.

Blinking to make sure he wasn't just seeing imaginary things again, he curiously made his way to what was most likely part of an oversized white shirt animatedly waving in the blustering weather, as if rushing him to come closer. That's when a thought hit him: what if this was a trap? A criminal could have followed him here and then planned to ambush him just by using a stupid white cloth. Another creepy thought struck him that the person he thought he saw when waking up on the bench was in fact a villain. But no, the silhouette looked too much like Ra-no . . . of course it wasn't her though. It was just a figment of his imagination thanks to his dream. Shaking his head from these thoughts, Beast Boy decided on surprising and attacking the intruder. Ignoring the strange feeling that the piece of cloth looked a bit familiar, or why he was so inclined to see it, he swiftly transformed into a leopard, leapt from behind his corner, prepared to catch the villain. However, the second he turned the corner, all that met his eyes was simply the torn piece of white cloth, still dancing away. Otherwise there was no one in the narrow pathway leading to the back lawn. He absentmindedly stuffed the white cloth, which was stuck on the water pipe, in his pocket when his ears immediately perked up.

_Pat, pat, pat, pat . . . _

Were those steps? As the sound of someone quickly walking away faded, he made a mental note to go see a doctor about his issues with seeing and hearing things. Does chasing after little white cloths count as a symptom? He must be going crazy. Becoming schizophrenic. Plodding back to the still open door, Beast Boy tried his best to disregard what he thought were chilly swirls of whispers sneaking into his ears.

_-o-_

A figure perched on the window ledge outside gazed into the green former superhero's room. The bitter wind and rain bit into her skin and her long hair slapped her across her cheeks, but she continued to stare intently as the boy tossed and turned in bed, suffering from a nightmare no doubt. The figure made her way down the apartment complex with ease. Another twenty minutes and they'll realize she's gone. She certainly did not want them to catch her yet again. The figure made her way silently down the empty streets to a rather prominent stone building, her white tattered gown billowing behind her.

* * *

><p><strong>Anyone care to guess where Beast Boy keeps his secret extra stash of tofu?<strong>

**I honestly meant for our protagonist to meet his dear introverted friend in this chapter, but I was like, "Nooo, I'm gonna be cruel and give them a cliffhanger!" Sorry…I will promise next chapter will be better!**

**So you know the drill guys ;)**


	3. On the Branch of an Elm Tree

**A/N: Can't believe it's been a year since my last update… and that was **_**last **_**Spring Break! My oh my, am I not just dandy. I must confess part of the reason was because I lost interest in the Teen Titans fandom until just last week really. But now I'm back on track!**

* * *

><p>After waving bye to his co-workers, Beast Boy walked out of Sweet Leaf, the vegan café he worked at down town. Glancing at his watch, the green boy read that it was four in the afternoon and let out a small relieved sigh. He felt rather accomplished today. On his way to work his shift, he caught a mugger running away with someone's wallet. It was pretty easy to take him down, but then again these were simply the average criminals and vigilantes that even the city's police could handle on their own. Beast Boy just happened to be there at the right place and the right time, so why not help out? Once that small problem was out of the way, he continued on to Sweet Leaf Café. The customers he served seemed to be nicer to him than usual and he received bigger tips, even from people who weren't regulars. When you lead a damaged life, you had to focus on the positive things. Or at least that's what Beast Boy once read in a book to get rid of depression. In truth, it did not help much for if it did, he wouldn't still be lingering in the past.<p>

Earlier on, right after Cyborg ditched him out of the blue, Beast Boy felt like he was seeing and hearing his former teammates practically every time he went out. One day, he would work his shift as a waiter and realize he was serving Starfire instead of the beautiful redhead that was sitting there just moments before. Another time, he could be walking down the streets and a spiky dark haired boy would buzz by him on a skateboard, doing daredevil tricks and stunts which were reminiscent of Robin. Beast Boy might walk past their old hangout place, the pizzeria, and swear that amid all the chitchat, he heard a loud ecstatic voice claiming its love and devotion to meat. And on those rare occasions he visited the public library (to read comics, mind you) he saw the swish of long, dark purple hair disappear behind the bookcase. Looking back, it was probably then that the first thought of schizophrenia crossed his mind, although he cast that idea away and in its place thought it was from his sudden unexpected change in lifestyle.

Beast Boy followed the path to the park, a place he frequented often. He'd climb and scatter in the form of a squirrel up the tree trunks of the giant elm trees that must have taken decades- no, hundreds- of years to grow and have their long, twisting branches reach out in a helter-skelter fashion. Once he was comfortably situated on a branch that was hidden enough so no one would see him and high enough so he would have a good view of the open sky, Beast Boy would simply sit there and let his brain run off to wander about whatever the heck it wanted. He allowed a small smile to appear on his face. _Raven would say I was spacing off again._

The changeling passed by a large, imposing, stone building with columns at the front like a Greek temple. He paused in his step. This was Jump City's mental hospital, St. Benedict's Psychiatric Institute. People say the reason the name changed from 'asylum' to 'institute' was because the latter was believed to send a more welcoming vibe to the public, although most people thought it really hardly mattered. Beast Boy was reminded of last night's episode with seeing and hearing things. He seriously pondered whether or not he should check himself in if he could. Granted those problems could have been caused by lack of sleep, but considering his luck, he wasn't sure.

Reluctantly, Beast Boy could feel his legs climb up the stairs and enter the building's automatic sliding doors. _What if I really do have a problem? _The main office room somehow managed to feel suffocating and threatening despite being open and having many windows. Breathing in and out once, he reluctantly made his way to the front desk where-

"Hey!" Beast Boy gave out a tiny cry as he was nudged aside by an elderly lady.

The little lady strode forward with her walking cane to the front desk and asked the receptionist where a room was. Still pretty ticked that the old woman didn't apologize to him, Beast Boy stepped up to the receptionist after the woman left, hobbling her way to the elevator.

"Hello sir, how may I help you?"

"Ummm, I'd like to . . ." _Is this really the right thing to do?_

"You would like to what, sir?"

"Uh . . . nothing actually. Sorry." Beast Boy saw confusion in the young receptionist's questioning eyes before hurriedly walking away, almost in a jog, garnering some odd looks.

When he arrived outside down the stairs, Beast Boy stopped, inwardly chastising himself. _You freaking idiot! What were you thinking? You can't just go in there and say "I'm crazy, take me in!"_ He felt embarrassed and stupid for even thinking this was the proper way to help himself. But isn't this what other people did? Go to the hospital for help? It was true that Beast Boy didn't have a doctor anymore (Cyborg used to stand in as one), so no one could recommend him to a hospital, but you could just skip that phase right? Beast Boy sighed as an ice cream truck drove by. The best way to forget about all this was to stick with his original plan: go to the park. And so he continued his way to there, eager to lose his conscious in whatever his imagination threw his way.

~-~-~O~-~-~

Making himself comfortable in the small nook of the tree, the changeling readily closed his eyes, prepared to lose himself once more. Ever since that dream where he and the team were in a huge clover field playing hide and go seek, that's all Beast Boy's mind could ever wander to when he was on the brink of sleep. And this time was certainly no different.

. . .

. . .

. . .

_Beast Boy meandered around the endless field looking for his friends. The rain had let up to show a vibrant sun in its place, although that had lasted only for an hour or so before the sun began to drop lower and lower in the sky, darkness settling in quickly. After witnessing the purple eyed figure stand before him and disappear in the blink of an eye, Beast Boy had tried calling out a certain sorceress' name, but received no response. He was growing tired of this game and hated that Robin hadn't set any boundaries on where to hide. Beast Boy had wanted to spend some quality time together; not spend time searching for his team, especially when it was getting dark._

_He finally decided to call it a day and set camp near a small spruce. And by setting camp, I mean he ripped out handfuls of grass, weeds, and clovers and set them in a neat pile onto which he laid his head down. Beast Boy liked to think it gave him some kind of cushioning for his head. He folded his hands over his stomach and deeply breathed in the scent of the vegetation around him. As he lazily stared up at the night sky with its stars glowing faintly, he entered the middle stage between consciousness and sleep._

_All of a sudden, he felt a shake of his shoulders._

_**"Wake up,"**_

_Where was that coming from?_

_**"Come on, open your eyes." **_

_The whisper was in a loud yet hushed tone. But where was it coming from? Oh right, his eyes were closed. It felt so good to sleep at last though! Wh-_

_**"Beast Boy!"**_

_The voice was growing increasingly louder now. How-_

_**"Gar-"**_

. . .

. . .

. . .

Beast Boy's eyes flew wide open. What followed next was a soft but unbelieving gasp emitted by the shape shifter not because of the sudden strong wind confronting him, but because of the figure- the girl- sitting not even five yards in front of him on the same branch. Everything around him was dark and hard to make out, yet the green being had to be a fool not to notice those lilac eyes reflecting the moon's light. Beast Boy felt an uncanny sense of déjà vu; nevertheless his hopefulness didn't prevent him from calling out that name all the same.

". . . Raven?"

For a few mortifying seconds, he heard nothing but the eerie howl of the wind and his own heart pounding. Beast Boy panicked and thought he was seeing things again. However, he soon heard a raspy voice and familiarity rang bells from years ago. There was no way . . .

"Beast Boy."

His name was spoken in a soft yet sure manner. His name might have been stolen away by the wind if he didn't have such perceptive ears. It wasn't said like a question; it was more like a fact, a statement.

Beast Boy slowly crawled on the branch, approaching the person he had been searching for the most these past three years. His gaze never once left hers. Tired but passionate forest green eyes stayed locked on alluring amethyst ones. And then, in a sudden swing of his arms, he engulfed the surprised girl in a hug that his heart has been aching to give for so long. She could feel warm tears fall down onto her head. Her vision was getting fuzzy as tears of her own streamed down her pale cheeks. Her arms, shaky at first, steadied and slowly wrapped themselves around her friend. Was he trembling? . . . Or was that her?

"I found you . . . at last." Beast Boy's muffled voice could be heard as he buried his tear stained face into her hair.

Raven only held him tighter.

* * *

><p><strong>And they meet again at last! I really didn't know how those two were going to meet each other. For a while, I thought they'd see each other randomly in the streets, Raven would make a run for it, and BB would chase after her, catch her and they'd have this whole deep heart to heart confrontation, etc. But that just seemed too general and tacky for my taste. So I do hope you guys are happy with the way they found each other (or just happy that Raven's here now!). <strong>

**Thank you to those who've reviewed and added this story to their favorites!**

**And one last thing: Do you guys like that last sentence? It at first sounded fine in my head, but when I read back over it, I got the image that Raven was strangling him… o_O…sooo, if you want me to change it, I will, just say it.**


	4. Half Truths

**A/N: Once again, I am so, so sorry for the late update! If you want more detail on that, feel free to visit my profile and check 'Recent activities' near the top. I'm glad to say that there is considerably more dialog in this chapter.**

* * *

><p>"Sooo…"<p>

It was eight o'clock, the morning after Beast Boy found Raven in Central Park. After his utter shock that she was real, that she was not a hallucination, he noticed the odd, thin gown she wore and quickly suggested they go back before either of them freeze to death. She readily agreed and they hurried their way back to his apartment. They kept close together, but no words were exchanged and he couldn't help but notice her eyes flit furtively around them, as if expecting someone to burst out of the blue and attack them. However they made it back safely and wasted no time changing into comfortable sleepwear (he managed to find something for her). They woke when the sun's early rays splayed out over the city and both decided it best to skip the trouble of making breakfast and walked into the nearest café.

Raven took a sip of herbal tea and arched an eyebrow. "So what?" Her voice cracked more than he remembered.

Beast Boy shook his head, hands fumbling awkwardly near his already empty plate of what used to hold a cinnamon roll. "I, well… you've…it's been, you know…"

All of a sudden, it begun to feel too hot inside the café. Sweat formed in his palms, and his eyes stayed wide open. _Dear fucking monkey balls_, Beast Boy thought as he stammered out nonsense. He had imagined a plethora of scenarios in his head where he ran into someone of the former team. He imagined that at first, he would be shocked, hug them depending on the person, and then tell them either how much he's missed them or how upset at them he is. But in the end, they would always start becoming friends again, just like a happy ending to a book or movie. But the situation right now? This was a complete disaster and he could feel embarrassment rapidly flood and crash into him.

Raven on the other hand, simply sat there. The sorceress was idly sipping her hot beverage and stared straight at him in an almost daring sort of way. But there was a certain shine to her eyes and Beast Boy frowned. Was she enjoying this? Seeing him make a fool of himself? Slowly, the corner of his lips tugged upwards and just for a moment, Beast Boy felt like he had landed back in the past, back when a smirking Raven was not uncommon around a jumbling Beast Boy.

He gave a tired, yet contented sigh. "Good seeing you again." That was probably the understatement of the year. "But seriously… I mean," His mind flashed back to last night, "You seem-it looks like you went through a lot since, well, since I last saw you."

Raven's lips snapped into a grim smile. "I could say the same about you." Beast Boy opened his mouth to answer but Raven beat him to it. "What have you been doing?"

"I, uh, got a job."

"For how long have you been working?"

"Almost a year."

"Almost a year with the same job?"

"Yeah."

Raven gave a slight grin and raised her eyebrows at that, seeming rather impressed.

"What?" Beast Boy asked confusedly.

"Never thought the day would come when you'd land a job and not get fired."

"Hey!" Beast Boy cried out indignantly, "I technically never got fired at Mega Meaty Meat."

"Beast Boy, you were working for some weird, evil little cube of tofu. You were his sole employee. I doubt it would have wanted to get rid of its only worker."

"Yeah, well," Feeling his cheeks heat up, Beast Boy tried to think of something to redeem himself. "I've been helping out the police too. Fighting some baddies."

Raven seemed surprised by that. "Well that's good."

"Mhmm. They pay me sometimes too, even when I tell them not to."

Raven looked down at her now empty cup. "Do they?"

"Yep. So, what's new with you?"

Beast Boy's eyes didn't miss how the empath's fingers curled tighter around her porcelain cup.

Jazz music and chitchat filled the relaxed atmosphere in the café, but at that instant, at the two former superheroes' small round table it was quiet and tense. Beast Boy looked at Raven anxiously as she suddenly froze, her gaze following the back of a broad shouldered man moving up in line to order. He was tall and obviously muscular and wore a trench coat over what appeared to be a suit. He had a white hat with a fluffy ball at the top which fit snuggly on his head and he carried a briefcase in his gloved hand. The shape shifter wondered why the sight of him put Raven on edge. The man seemed like a good, normal person, right? There was nothing out of the ordinary about him (_except that fluffy ball_, Beast Boy thought, _what kind of big muscled man would wear that?_) that would bring suspicion onto him.

As the man turned around with his order, ready to look for an empty table, Raven snapped her attention back to her puzzled friend in front of her.

"Beast Boy, do you trust me?" The question came out rushed and panicked.

Beast Boy creased his forehead in confusion. "Of course I do. Why?"

The empath stared at him for a second, but only for one second before grabbing for both of his still gloved hands in her tiny ones. Beast Boy did not have any time to protest or question her. The sight of the café around him disappeared as blackness swiftly enveloped his vision. Feeling a small chill, he started to become alarmed but relaxed slightly when he still felt Raven's hands around his. It was only until after the blackness evaporated to unveil a deserted alleyway that he remembered he had experienced this several times before.

Spinning around to face Raven, he asked "Why'd you teleport us out?"

Raven could only thank Azar that their table was well hidden in the corner before thinking about how she could answer Beast Boy. "I saw someone there."

"You mean that big guy? Do you two know each other?"

Raven thought about ignoring the question and staying quiet but knowing he would not be satisfied with her vague answer, she tried to carefully elaborate with, well, another vague answer. "Yeah, you could say that."

Beast Boy shook his head. He could tell she was not telling him the entire truth. He might have trusted her, but it was apparent she did not trust him.

"Raven…"

The sorceress took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip, detecting a bit of unhappiness in his voice. "I'm sorry. It's just-I'll tell you everything when the time is right."

Beast Boy nodded, not entirely sure what that meant or when the time would be 'right'. "Okay."

As the two walked out of the alleyway, neither of them had any particular destination in mind, so they decided to simply roam about aimlessly in the city as the weather was considerably a few degrees warmer that day.

"So," Beast Boy started, glee sneaking into his voice. "I've noticed I'm now the one looking down on you."

Raven certainly was not expecting him to say that. Nonetheless, she was amused by what he just said. "And here I thought you were going to remain five two for the rest of your life. Guess you really were just a late bloomer."

"Hey! I was definitely taller than that!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "You do realize that now you're only maybe an inch taller than me?"

"Either way, that now makes you the shortest member of the team!"

Raven widened her eyes and she almost tripped over her own two feet. It suddenly felt as if her mouth was stuffed with peanut butter and she dared not say anything. She risked a peek at Beast Boy and she would have been lying had she said the look on his face did not make her heart ache at least a bit. It was as if his own mouth was stuffed with peanut butter. His expression was of shock and realization and hurt all at once. There was a heavy silence between them until Beast Boy found his voice again.

"I'm sorry."

For some reason, Raven could not stand how his voice, literally joyful and boisterous mere moments ago was now reduced to a quiet and broken whisper.

"Don't be. Please."

"I wasn't really thinking-"

"It's okay. I know."

"Sorry, sorry, it just came out of nowhere-"

"Beast Boy. I know you didn't mean anything by it. Everything's fine. Nothing is your fault." Raven shot him a rare, genuine smile.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. His eyes searched hers and somewhere past those mysterious violet orbs, he thought he could see something more, something like untold truth. All of a sudden, for some inexplicable reason, he was dying to know right that moment what happened to her in the past two years, what had happened to all of them in these past two lonely years. But he knew she would only give him half answers, the whole truth being stored away until a later time. So he ignored this impulse. Instead, he offered her a toothy grin. "Either way, you're now shorter than me."

_~o~_

As he made his way around Jump City's busy streets, he didn't know what exactly he felt. A mixture of apprehension, melancholy, odd bliss, and nostalgia swirled around his heart, tightening their grips more and more with each heavy step he took. He had, after all, never expected, never wanted to step foot in this city ever again. Not after that day, which felt oh so long ago, yet it could have easily been only yesterday, that day when everyone had gathered on the rooftop of the now deserted tower, that day which had marked him as a coward when he made sure he was the first to leave.

He shook his head as if to rid his tired mind of these thoughts, the ever present black spikes on his head staying perfectly in place, even when faced with the rushing draft. He was here with a goal to accomplish, not to reminisce about what cannot be undone. Digging his hands into his coat pockets, he begun to wish he had not forgotten his gloves. He glanced up around and allowed himself to marvel at how much the city had changed: there was a definite addition of skyscrapers which stood tall and defiant against the unruly winds, the city's park had grown larger in size and had more trees and picnic benches to offer its numerous visitors, and several new shops and restaurants replaced the old ones with which he was familiar only two years ago.

A warm and delicious scent rode atop the wind and past him, though not before his nose, tinged red with the cold, caught a good whiff of it. His eyebrows knit together slightly as he tried to understand why this particular scent was so recognizable. But it only took him a quick look up ahead to answer his question; about four meters in front of him was the old pizzeria. The Pizza Corner seemed to have managed to retain its popularity and there were astonishingly a couple bundled up people outside on the pizza slice-shaped balcony. For whatever reason, he felt a tiny wave of relief wash over him. It felt reassuring to know that out of everything else in his life, at least one thing had remained intact, no matter how unimportant it was.

However, he refused to dwell too much on that and quickened his pace to the approaching dock, small motor boats lined up near it and roughly swaying in the water. Hopefully, out across the bay, that's where he would accomplish his goal. Maybe, things wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you for reading and I hope this chapter did not disappoint!**

**And thank you so much again to those who've endured this long, long wait. Please tell me what you think!**


End file.
